Multifunctional strap system for handheld portable electronic devices

ABSTRACT

A multifunctional strap system for portable electronic devices having a case and a strap on the back of the case. The case securely holds a protective electronic device while allowing access to all necessary features of the device. The strap securely couples a user&#39;s hand or other personal effects to the device. The strap may also be attached to a clip that removably attaches the strap to the bottom of the device. The detachable clip of the strap allows the strap system to loop around and be secured onto an object. The case may have an insert that can be used as a kickstand or a protective cover of a card held into place by the strap.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of, and claims a prioritybenefit from, allowed U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/298,198,filed Nov. 16, 2011, which in turn claims priority from ProvisionalApplication No. 61/505,943, filed on Jul. 8, 2011. All of theseapplications are hereby, herein incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to portable electronic devices.More specifically, the present invention relates to accessories forportable electronic devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cases and other protective accessories for portable electronic devicessuch as cell phones, digital audio players, digital cameras, electronicbook readers and tablets are known in the art. A basic case for a cellphone such as an Apple iPhone generally has a plastic shell that coversthe back of the cell phone with an additional portion to cover the sidesof the cell phone. Some cases feature an additional lip to cover aportion of the front of the cell phone.

Existing cases and accessories do not provide much in the way ofpreventing accidental dropping or slipping of the cell phone out of thehand of a user. Thus, there exists a need for an accessory for aportable electronic device that is versatile and capable of securing aportable electronic device to a hand of a user or to be hung securely onan object.

One example of cases and accessories known in the art include UnitedStates Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0116387 to Channey et al.directed to a “Protective Secondary Enclosure Apparatus with ModularFace Protective Options for Handheld Devices.” Channey discloses a casewith a strap on the back of the case. However, the strap used isanchored at only one point not coupling a user's hand to the device.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved strap system toallow for better handling of a portable electronic device such as a cellphone or a digital audio player. It is another object of the inventionto provide a strap fixed at both ends of a case having two separablestraps in parallel. It is a further object of the invention to provide adetachable strap to improve stability, for example, when taking a photo.It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a case thataccommodates the strap system in a unified manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention provides for a strap system for aportable electronic device comprising a case having a top edge, a bottomedge and a plurality of side edges capable of holding the portableelectronic device, at least one strap configured to couple to a hand ofa user and at least one clip, wherein the at least one clip isdetachably coupled to an edge of the portable electronic device. Thecase has a carve-out sized to receive the at least one strap. The strapis attached to the top edge of the case by way of a strap pin. The atleast one clip is connected to the at least one strap by way of anotherstrap pin. The at least one strap may be connected to an edge oppositeto the edge coupled with the at least one clip.

The at least one clip has a back side generally parallel to a back sideof the portable electronic device, a bottom side generally parallel to abottom side of the portable electronic device and a front side generallyparallel to a front side of the portable electronic device, wherein thebottom side has a port guard for sealing a port on the bottom side ofthe portable electronic device. The bottom side of the at least one clipis flat and balanced to allow the portable electronic device to standfreely in an upright position.

Another aspect of the present invention provides for a case having a topportion, a middle portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portionand bottom portion are connected by at least one strap stretched tocreate tension allowing the hand of the user to be coupled to theportable electronic device without applying additional external force.The middle portion is removable and configured to fit and conceal a cardsuch as a credit card, a driver's license or even cash. The middleportion may be removed and repositioned either above or below the atleast one strap. The middle portion is also configured to act as akickstand in either a portrait or a landscape orientation to allow theportable electronic device to stand freely. The middle portion forms aportrait hinge where it connects to the top portion, and the middleportion forms a landscape hinge along a side edge of the portableelectronic device.

Yet another aspect of the present invention provides for a strap systemfor a portable electronic device comprising at least one strap and atleast one clip, wherein the at least one clip is coupled to an edge or acorner of the portable electronic device. A case is not required forthis aspect of the present invention in that the at least one strapcoupled with the at least one clip create sufficient tension to keep theat least one clip in place on the portable electronic device.

The invention can be better visualized by turning now to the followingdrawings wherein like elements are referenced by like numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself,both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood fromthe accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdescription, in which similar reference characters refer to similarparts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a strap system for a portable electronicdevice comprising a case, a strap and a clip coupled to a portableelectronic device;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the strap system without the portableelectronic device;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the strap system depicting a front side of theportable electronic device and a front side of the clip;

FIG. 4 a is a rear view of the strap system depicting the strap and aback side of the clip;

FIG. 4 b is a rear perspective view of the strap system without thestrap or the clip attached to the case;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the strap system;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the clip;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the clip;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a strap coupled to the clip;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of an alternate embodiment featuring a three-piecesplit case comprising a top portion, a middle portion and a bottomportion;

FIG. 10 a is a rear view of the case having the middle portion detachedexposing a double strap system;

FIG. 10 b is a rear view of the middle portion detached from the case;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the middle portion used as akickstand for portrait viewing of a portable electronic device display;and

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the middle portion used as akickstand for landscape viewing of the portable electronic devicedisplay.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally comprises a strap system for a portableelectronic device. Examples of portable electronic devices include, butare not limited to, cell phones, digital audio players, electronic book(“eBook”) readers, digital cameras, tablet devices and personal digitalassistants (“PDAs”). The strap system has a case that providesprotection for the portable electronic device wherein the case has astrap attached to it. The strap may be constructed from elastic oranother flexible material.

With regard to FIG. 1, illustrated is a perspective view of a strapsystem 10 for a portable electronic device 50. In a preferredembodiment, the strap system 10 has a case 11. The case 11 may beconstructed from polycarbonate plastic, thermoplastic polyurethane(“TPU”), silicone, metal, aluminum, any other structurally stablematerial or any combination thereof. A basic design of the case 11 firsthas a back side of the case 13 having a solid piece of plastic coveringsubstantially all of a back side of the device 50. The case 11 wouldalso have a plurality of case corners 15 which extend from the back sideof the device 50 to a front side 53 of the device 50 to cover thecorners of the device 50. The portable electronic device 50 may have aspeaker 51, a button 52 and a front camera 54, each of which is notobstructed by any part of the strap system 10. The case corners 15 maybe contoured to the shape of the device 50.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the strap system 10 without the portableelectronic device 50 inserted in the case 11. The case 11 may have awall portion 12 extending along a lateral edge, a top edge or a bottomedge of the device. The wall portions 12 may also have a cutout 17 toaccommodate for a button, a switch, an accessory port or any multiplesor combinations thereof. The wall portions 12 may also have ashock-resistant grip 16 made from rubber or similarly tactile materialto enhance grip and handling of the portable electronic device.

A front view of the strap system 10 is shown in FIG. 3 with the portableelectronic device 50 placed within the case 11. The portable electronicdevice 50 is fully accessible when used with the strap system 10. Alongthe bottom edge of the case 11 is a clip 20. The clip 20 may have acontoured edge to accommodate the button 52 as to not obstruct normalusage of the portable electronic device 50. The camera 54 and thespeaker 51 are not obscured by any part of the case 11.

A corresponding rear view is shown in FIG. 4 a depicting the strapsystem 10 with the portable electronic device 50 placed within the case11. The rear side 13 of the case 11 has a cutout 14 to allow access to acamera 56 and a flash 58. The strap 30 is placed along a vertical axisof the case 11 and preferably constructed from an elastic material. Thestrap 30 may be fixedly attached to both a top center of the case 11 bybeing directly adhered to the case 11. Preferably, the strap 30 would beattached by way of a strap pin 32. The strap pin 32 would be optimallyan expandable cylindrical rod. The strap pin 32 and the strap 30 may becovered by a strap guard 34 designed to provide protection to the strap30 and the strap pin 32. The strap 30 may be attached by a mechanicalfastener or by being directly adhered at the top of the case 11.Alternatively, the strap 30 may be molded into the case 11 itself duringproduction.

The strap 30 would have sufficient tension to allow a hand or fingers ofa user to remain coupled to the portable electronic device 50 withoutrequiring external force. The strap 30 would allow the device to coupleto the hand or fingers because the strap would be constructed from anelastic material. This would also allow the hand or fingers of the userto pass under the strap 30 in a comfortable manner without having tochange the user's style of gripping the portable electronic device 50.Additionally, the strap 30 would have sufficient tension to allow a card60, such as a credit card, driver's license or other similarly sizedobject, to be held into place along the back side 13 of the case 11. Thegrip 16 has an inner side wall designed to provide additional guide andsecurity for the card 60.

Strap 30 may be attached to any bar (stroller, bicycle, exercisemachines, etc.), tube, belt, belt loop, clip, carabineer, waist pack(fanny pack) or other similar system for safe and secure mounting ortransport of the device. The clip 20 of the strap 30 allows the strapsystem 10 to loop around and be secured onto an object. Strap 30 may beattached to a separate armband to offer portability during workout andother activities which require hands-free operation of the device 50(e.g. walking or running)

The strap 30 is attached to the clip 20 preferably with another strappin 32. The clip 20 would attach to a notch at the bottom of the case11. The clip 20 may be detached from the bottom of the case 11 to allowthe user to change their grip of the strap 30 such as when taking aphoto or a video with the camera 56 that is a component of the portableelectronic device 50. The clip 20 is preferably molded to the contour ofthe case 11.

In an alternative embodiment, the strap 30 may be configured to connectto an upper left corner of the case 11, an upper right corner of thecase 11 and a bottom center of the case 11 wherein the strap 30 isformed from three elastic pieces connected at a midpoint intersectiongenerally located near the center of the case 11. This configurationwould have the strap 30 arranged in the shape of a ‘Y’ character.Alternatively, the ‘Y’ may be inverted wherein the strap 30 connects ata top center of the case 11, a bottom left corner of the case 11 and abottom right corner of the case 11. Further alternatively, the strap 30may be configured to connect to a bottom left corner and a bottom rightcorner instead of the bottom center. This would allow for the strap 30to take the general form of an ‘X’ character.

For illustrative purposes, FIG. 4 b is a rear perspective view of thestrap system 10 without having the strap 30 attached to the case 11.Notwithstanding the shape of the strap 30 used in the present invention,the case may also have a strap carve-out 18 along the back side of thecase 11. The strap carve-out 18 would be optimally sized to fit thestrap 30 within the strap carve-out 18 as to not create additionalthickness when the strap 30 is in a neutral position. The case 11 mayalso have a clip carve-out 19 configured to accommodate the clip 20 whenin a neutral position. The case 11 would be molded with the same shapethat makes up the strap 30.

The strap carve-out 18 may also be used to secure an external stand toallow for portrait or landscape standing of the portable electronicdevice 50. The external stand can slide up or down to adjust the anglefor portrait viewing. The angle for landscape viewing will be fixed toensure proper structural stability.

With reference to FIG. 5, illustrated is a bottom view of the strapsystem 10. The wall portion 18 at the bottom edge of the personalelectronic device 50 has a cut out 17 to accommodate a speaker 51, amicrophone 55 and a port 57 along the bottom side of the personalelectronic device 50. The clip 20, which is centered along alongitudinal axis preferably covers the port 57. The clip 20 has abottom side 23 which is preferably flat to allow the personal electronicdevice 50 to stand upright solely on the clip 20. When in uprightposition, the user will have a direct and more convenient view of thedisplay when listening to music, watching video or audio and videoconferencing. In addition, clip 20 provides a space or gap between thespeaker(s) and the table or surface on which the device is standing.This vertical orientation allows for the sound output to reflectdownwards onto the table surface. As a direct result, sound from thedevice is distributed evenly across the room or environment and theresulting sound quality is richer and clearer.

The clip 20 is depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7 in a perspective view and aside view, respectively. The clip 20 has a front side or a lip 22, abottom side 23, a back side 25 and an inner cavity 28. The bottom side23 a port guard 21 made from rubber or other soft material facing inwardtoward the inner cavity 28 configured to seal a port on the portableelectronic device 50. The back side 25 is configured to receive thestrap pin 32 in a pin slot 26. The pin slot 26 allows the strap pin 32to remain fixed within the clip 20 to permit movement between the strap30 and the clip 20.

The inner cavity 28 has at least one rubber bead 29 configured to be acushion to protect the portable electronic device 50 and its surfaces.The inner cavity 28 of the clip 20 is contoured to the shape of the portto protect the port from dust, moisture and debris. This allows the port57 to be free from dust, debris, water and moisture that may normallyaccumulate through normal usage of the portable electronic device 50.The clip 20 may also feature a magnet to allow the clip 20 to besecurely attached to another metallic object.

Referring to FIG. 8, depicted is a perspective view of the clip 20attached to the strap 30. The strap pin 32 that connects the strap 30 tothe case 11 is opposite of the clip 20. The strap pin 32 is enclosed bya strap guard 34 configured to accentuate and protect the strap 30. Thestrap guard 34 may enclose any number or type of strap pins 32 featuredon the strap 30 without departing from the scope of the invention.

An alternative embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 9, 10 a and 10 b in arear view of a strap system 70 for the portable electronic device 50.This alternate embodiment has a case 71 comprising a top portion 72, amiddle portion 73 and a bottom portion 74. The top portion 72 has acutout 78 to accommodate for a camera 56, a camera flash 58 or a speakerif embedded in the device. The top portion 72 and the middle portion 73intersect to form a portrait hinge 76. Along a side edge of the portableelectronic device 50 between the top portion 72 and the bottom portion74 is a landscape hinge 75.

The middle portion 73 is detachable from the case 70. Additionally, themiddle portion 73 can be used as a screen protector installation guideand squeegee. The middle portion 73 may also have a mirror, a mirrorfinish or any reflective material on an inner surface to provide areflective surface for personal grooming. An alternative configurationof the strap system 70 allows the strap 30 to be placed above or belowthe middle portion 73 without disrupting the structural integrity of thecase 71.

An alternative embodiment could have the middle portion 73 as beingintegral to the top portion 72 and thus not detachable as in thepreferred embodiment. This would allow the bottom portion 74 to beremovable from the portable electronic device 50 while remainingattached to the strap 30.

Furthermore, FIG. 11 depicts the strap system 70 while using the middleportion 73 as a kickstand in a portrait orientation. The middle portion73 pivots about the portrait hinge 76 to provide structural stabilitywhile in the portrait orientation. FIG. 12 depicts the strap system 70while using the middle portion 73 as a kickstand in a landscapeorientation. The middle portion 73 pivots about the landscape hinge 75to provide structural stability while in the landscape orientation. Thecard 60 and the strap 30 are visible when the middle portion 73 is usedas a kickstand. The case 71 may also have a perimeter constructed with arubber edge to improve the user's grip and to provide a non-slip surfacefor standing the portable electronic device 50. The case 71 may alsohave a plurality of corners made from a rubber or other tactile materialto provide a non-slip surface to prevent slippage of the portableelectronic device 50 while freely standing.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention does not have a case forthe portable electronic device. Rather, the strap 30 is connected to afirst and second clip 20 on a top portion and a bottom portion of thestrap 30. The first and second clips 20 would attach to a top and bottomof the device. The strap 30 would then be stretched in such a way thatthe strap 30 would be sufficiently tensed to keep the first and secondclips 20 attached to the top and bottom of the portable electronicdevice 50 without an additional attachment to the clips 20 and thedevice 50. An alternative to this embodiment affixes the strap 30 to theportable electronic device 50 directly without need for an externalaccessory such as a case or a clip. In this embodiment, the strap 30would be integral to the portable electronic device 50 and thus acomponent thereof.

While the particular Multifunctional Strap System for Handheld PortableElectronic Devices as herein shown and disclosed in detail is fullycapable of obtaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative ofthe presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that nolimitations are intended to the details of construction or design hereinshown other than as described in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A strap system for a portable electronic devicecomprising: a case having a top portion, a middle portion and a bottomportion, wherein the middle portion is detachable from the top portionand the bottom portion, wherein the case is configured to hold theportable electronic device in a main cavity, and at least one strap,wherein the at least one strap is attached to the top portion and thebottom portion of the case and is configured to couple to a hand of auser.
 2. The strap system for a portable electronic device of claim 1,wherein the middle portion is configured to accommodate a card betweenthe portable electronic device and the middle portion when the middleportion is attached to the case.
 3. The strap system for a portableelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the middle portion is hingedlyattached to the top portion to provide a kickstand to support theportable electronic device, wherein the kickstand wedges with the topportion to form a portrait hinge along the axis formed where the topportion and the middle portion intersect.
 4. The strap system for aportable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the middle portion ishingedly attached to the top portion and the bottom portion to providethe kickstand a landscape hinge along the axis formed along a side edgeof the portable electronic device.
 5. The strap system for a portableelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one strap isstretched to create tension allowing the hand of the user to be coupledto the portable electronic device without applying external force. 6.The strap system for a portable electronic device of claim 1, furthercomprising a mirror on the middle portion for use in personal grooming.7. A strap system for a portable electronic device, comprising: at leastone strap comprising a top edge, an intermediate portion and a bottomedge, wherein the at least one strap is configured to couple to a handof a user and a plurality of clips, wherein the top edge and the bottomedge of the at least one strap is each attached to one of the pluralityof clips.
 8. The strap system for a portable electronic device of claim7, one strap is stretched to create tension allowing the hand of theuser to be coupled to the portable electronic device without applyingexternal force.
 9. The strap system for a portable electronic device ofclaim 8, wherein the plurality of clips is configured to be coupled witha plurality of edges of the portable electronic device.
 10. The strapsystem for a portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein theplurality of clips is configured to be coupled with a plurality ofcorners of the portable electronic device.
 11. The strap system for aportable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of clipsfurther comprises: a back side generally parallel to a back side of theportable electronic device, a bottom side generally parallel to a bottomside of the portable electronic device, wherein the bottom side is flatand balanced to facilitate standing the portable electronic device in anupright position, and a front side generally parallel to a front side ofthe portable electronic device.
 12. The strap system for a portableelectronic device of claim 11, further comprising a port guard on thebottom side of the plurality of clips for sealing a port on the portableelectronic device.